Mississippi recently made a significant change to its wine laws by legalizing direct-to-consumer (“DTC”) wine shipping, effective July 1, 2025. This means licensed wineries can now legally ship wine directly to Mississippi residents. With this update, Arkansas, Delaware, Rhode Island, and Utah still remain in full restrictions or require in-person purchases for DTC wine shipments.
With the new law in place, consumers have more choices and open opportunities for wineries. However, some industry advocates believe that the law’s restrictions, such as limits on available wines and shipment quantities, may still prevent broader access to wine.
Key Provisions of the New Law
Senate Bill 2145 mirrors similar regulations that are found in DTC wine shipping regulations across the country, such as the shippers must:
- Obtain a DTC shipping license from the Mississippi Alcohol Beverage Control (“ABC”) division;
- Pay an annual renewal fee of $100;
- Follow strict shipping protocols, including clear labeling that indicates the package contains alcohol and requiring an adult signature upon delivery;
- File monthly reports of shipments to residents in the state;
- Adhere to shipment limits, with a maximum of twelve (12) cases per year per residential address; and
- Prohibit deliveries to dry counties, where alcohol sales remain restricted.
Additionally, wineries must file quarterly reports detailing all shipments to Mississippi consumers with 15.5% tax on all DTC wine sales.
Impact on the wine industry
One significant limitation of the new law is that wineries cannot ship wines already available through Mississippi’s controlled distribution system, unless classified as highly allocated items (which remains rather ambiguous). This makes it harder for wineries to sell both to the DTC and wholesale market. Also worth noting is that the state contains many dry counties, to whom wineries will not be able to ship directly.
It is also worth noting that, per Senate Bill 2145, the state limits the definition of wine for DTC purposes to include “product[s] obtained from the alcoholic fermentation of the juice of sound, ripe grapes, fruits or berries.” This means that wine would not include, for example, rice wine, honey wine (mead), dandelion wine, etc.
While this law marks a step in expanding consumer access to a wider variety of wines, some of its restrictions and penalties could make compliance tricky for wineries and shipping carriers. It’s essential for industry stakeholders to understand and navigate these regulations to ensure adherence and mitigate potential risks.
For more information on wine and alcohol laws or assistance in reviewing and updating labels to comply with these proposed regulations, please contact Lindsey Zahn.
DISCLAIMER: This blog post is for general information purposes only, is not intended to constitute legal advice, and no attorney-client relationship results. Please consult your own attorney for legal advic